Golf Buddy WT3 Golf GPS Watch
Golf Buddy is certainly one of the most respected names when it comes to the best golf GPS units. Now Golf Buddy makes a wearable golf GPS watch, the WT3. Let’s take a look at this $249 (retail) golf GPS watch.
Golf Buddy WT3 Golf GPS Watch Features
- Preloaded with over 36,000 courses worldwide, 40,000 capacity
- GPS tracking
- Automatic course and hole recognition
- Shot distance measurement
- Pin placement
- Dynamic green view
- Target/hazard information
- Digital scorecard
- Long lasting battery
- Water resistant
- Multi-lingual
On The Course
The convenience of always having your golf GPS with you in the form of a wearable watch is great. No digging in the bag. No going back to the bag or the golf cart.
The other great part of having it with you is tracking your every step, for those of you like me who love to walk the golf course. The GPS tracking will tell you how far you walked, how long you walked, and what your average speed was. Cram the essential functions of a FitBit into a golf GPS and there you go.
WT3 Screens – click to zoom
The yardages provided by this golf GPS, and that’s really what we’re most interested in, are fast and accurate. Unlike other golf GPS watches, this one will tell you distances to hazards, lakes, trees, bunkers and the like. The standard yardage mode gives you the middle of the green yardage in big bold letters with smaller yardages for front and back of the green.
For fine tuning approach shots, you can position the pin on the green for more accuracy, just like handheld golf GPS units.
This wristwatch golf GPS also serves as a basic timepiece. In time mode the watch shows the time, day and date. The battery life when simply running the watch in time mode is a full 50 days.
Critiques
My only beef with this golf GPS watch is the charging cable. Rather than a common mini-usb cable, the charging cable is proprietary. If you forget to grab the cable before your trip to Bandon Dunes or Scotland, you’re going to be walking off your yardages from sprinkler heads. You’re not going to find this cable at any store.
Colors
The Golf Buddy WT3 golf GPS watch comes in black or white.
Conclusion
Comfortable, convenient, great yardages, finetuning on the greens, and automatic course/hole recognition. The Golf Buddy WT3 golf GPS watch can be summed up in one word: SOLID.
Images
Here are more images of the Golf Buddy WT3.
Golf Buddy WT3 Golf GPS Wristwatch
Remember how big golf GPS’s were a couple of short years ago? Now they’re in your wristwatch…
In for review here at Hooked On Golf Blog is the cool new Golf Buddy WT3 golf GPS watch. The battery is charged and weather permitting I’ll begin testing of this unit this week. Stay tuned.
Until then, check out the HOG gallery where I’ve posted a couple of photos of the Golf Buddy WT3 golf GPS watch.
WR67 Designer Golf GPS Wristwatch by Expresso Satellite Navigation
I was playing golf with a guy a few weeks ago who seemed so preoccupied with the time and his schedule. It was driving me nuts. He kept looking and looking at his watch before every shot. It was a slow round, but not that slow. Finally I asked him if he was in a hurry or something. It turned out that he was using a golf GPS watch and simply getting his yardages!
The tables turned on me a few short weeks later. I was testing the new Expresso Satellite Navigation WR67 Golf Satellite GPS Watch. Sure enough, one of my playing partners asked, “what’s your hurry?” I couldn’t help but laugh as I told him his ball was 147 front, 158 middle and 170 back…
WR67 Overview
The Expresso Satellite Navigation WR67 Golf GPS Watch brings all the regular features of a bulky golf GPS unit, but delivers them in a wristwatch format. The numbers are big and easy to read with front, middle and back readings on one screen.
The watch automatically detects the course and hole from its internal library of 25,000 courses.
Along with the great GPS features, the watch tracks shot distances. When hitting a shot, click the shot button. Then when arriving at the ball click it again. The WR67 tells you exactly how far you just hit it. Be careful though, the numbers may not be as high as you think or want. You don’t hit your 7-iron as far as Tiger Woods. Sorry.
WR67 Charging Connector – click to zoom
Hazard yardages are also listed in the watch.
The watch also has an odometer, so you can track how far you’ve gone since you started your round. In the case of my trip to St. Andrews in July of this year, 104 total miles for the week.
To update courses, the attached USB cable is used with Mac or PC. The USB cable also charges the unit. I must say the battery in this golf GPS watch far outlasts a regular GPS in number of rounds. On the last charge I’ve lost count.
On The Course
I’m not big on wearing watches but I did use it for a couple of rounds on the wrist. After that I attached the unit to the top of my golf bag. That’s a perfect spot. I can check the yardage quickly and grab a club right there.
I found that I kept forgetting to track each shot. But when I was curious as to how far I was hitting shots, I would track them. That would give me a good idea of how far all the shots were going on a given day. Sometimes the conditions are such that the ball is flying farther or shorter than normal and that’s good to know.
Hazards – click to zoom
Critiques
The hazard yardages are a bit cryptic due to the lack of available digits. For the most part one can logically deduce that RFB is “right fairway bunker” but I kept thinking it was “right front bunker.” Know what FGWC is? Front green water carry. You get the idea.
Conclusion
The $199 WR67 golf GPS watch (found it on Amazon here for $179
), is a great value compared to other regular golf GPS units. The GPS and shot tracking functions are great, plus it serves as a cool watch and odometer when not on the golf course.
Related Links
HOG WR67 Image Gallery
Expresso Satellite Website
Amazon Link (currently $20 off retail)
GolfBuddy Platinum GPS – Click for more images
I’m going to continue with the GPS theme this week and post my review of the GolfBuddy World Platinum GPS. The Platinum is full featured GPS with numerous cool features.
Golf Buddy Platinum Features
Yardages yardages yardages! The unit shows a display of the golf hole you are on, and can give yardages to front, middle back of green as well as yardages to any place on the hole. You can simply use the touch screen to highlight a target and yardages are calculated.
This unit has a touch screen interface. I’m so used to using an iPhone and an iPad though, that I find myself pinching and dragging my fingers like it is one of those units. It doesn’t quite work the same, but the interface works well.
(more…)
Once again, due to snow I can’t get out on the course today. The next time I do hit the links, I plan on taking my first test drive with the new Bushnell “neo” (yes, all lower case) pocket golf GPS.
Bushnell neo golf GPS - haven't put it in play yet, but it is already in my list of top new cool golf gadgets for 2011! Click for more images...
This thing is smaller than my Canon camera, which I always carry with me in my pocket. The rounded corners are nice when it is in the pocket. The unit comes with a belt mount too.
The unit does NOT require a subscription or fee to use either, which is nice.
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